Study Guide for Comprehensive Final Examination
METR 2603
Severe and Unusual Weather
Spring, 2001

Q:  What should I study?
A:  You should review all of the materials presented in class (web-based lectures, in-class comments, handouts), read the assignments from the text, and study the problem sets.

Q:  How will the exam be constructed?
A:  It will be identical to both previous exams, consisting of a mixture of short-answer questions, fill-in-the-blank, true/false, and multiple choice.
You will have 2 hours to complete the final exam, from 8-10 am on Wednesday, May 9th in the regular classroom. 

Q:  Will I have to solve equations and quantitative problems?
A:  If I ask such questions, I'll provide all of the formulas, equations, and physical constants (e.g., Gas Constant

Q:  Is the exam comprehensive
A:  Yes, it covers the entire course.  About 1/3rd of the exam will be devoted to material covered since the 2nd exam,
while the other 2/3rds will cover material from the start of the semester through exam #2

Q:  Will I need to bring a calculator?
A:  Yes.

Q:  What happens if I'm caught cheating on the exam, either while I take it or afterward?
A:  You will be brought up on academic misconduct charges and subject to the procedures and penalties outlined in the Student Code, which range from receiving an F in the course to complete explusion from the University of Oklahoma.  Don't even think about cheating.  Your activities during the exam will be CLOSELY monitored, and every student will be separated by an empty chair.

NOTE THAT **NO MAKE-UPS** WILL BE GIVEN FOR THE FINAL EXAMINATION EXCEPT UNDER THE **MOST EXTREME** CIRCUMSTANCES (DEATH IN THE IMMEDIATE FAMILY, SERIOUS ILLNESS OF THE STUDENT AND DOCUMENTATION PROVIDED BY A PHYSICIAN).  YOU ARE EXPECTED TO BE PRESENT, AND IF A CRISIS ARISES, YOU SHOULD CONTACT ME IMMEDIATELY.  I WILL *NOT*, UNDER *ANY* CIRCUMSTANCES, GIVE A MAKE-UP FINAL EXAM UNLESS YOU NOTIFY ME AHEAD OF TIME.

Topics to Review and Things you Should Know

Note that the absence of a particular topic below
does NOT mean that it will be excluded from the exam! 
This is only a study GUIDE.

Definition of a thunderstorm
Climatology and frequency across the US
Types of thunderstorms and their severity
The three stages of an airmass storm and the weather produced
General structure and features of gust fronts and microbursts
Physical aspects of the ideal gas law and ability to work problems if I
    provide you with the equation
Pressure gradient force
Atmospheric Stability
Physical basis for the hydrostatic equation
The vertical structure of the atmosphere and the reasons for it
The differences between heat and temperature
The three types of energy transfer (conduction, convection, radiation)
Measures of atmospheric moisture content (see lecture 7) and the
   physical uses for them
Heat capacity and latent heating
Atmospheric stability and lapse rates (be able to determine if a rising
    parcel is stable, neutral, or unstable)
Understand stability in the context of cloud and thunderstorm development
Know the types and structure of severe thunderstorms (squall line, supercell, bow echo)
Understand how they differ from one another, and the differences in the
   environmental conditions for each (e.g., vertical wind profiles)
Know the basic characteristics of mesoscale convective complexes and pre-frontal
   squall lines
Be able to describe the conditions necessary for long-lived squall lines
Be able to label the key parts of a supercell storm (see schematic in Lecture 16)
Be able to explain the origin of updraft rotation in supercell storms and the
   reasons why this type of storm is long-lived compared to airmass and other
   storms
Know the three stages of a supercell tornado
Understand the differences between supercell and non-supercell tornadoes
Be able to describe a multi-vortex tornado and how it leads to erratic damage
   patterns
Be able to describe the Fujita tornado intensity scale (don't memorize the wind speeds
   for each category)
Review the basic aspects of storm and tornado climatology (e.g., peak time of tornado
   occurrence, trend of tornadoes over the years)
Be able to create a wind hodograph
Know how to plot storm-relative winds and horizontal rotation vectors on a hodograph
Be able to use a hodograph to assess storm type and updraft rotation (see Air Force handout)
Be able to use a thermodyamic diagram to find the lifted condensation level (LCL),
   convective condensation level (CCL), and relative hummidity
Be able to assess atmospheric stability using a sounding plotted on a thermodynamic diagram
Understand the concept of CAPE as it relates to thunderstorms
Know the major stages of a cloud-to-ground lightning strike
Be able to explain the structure of the "fair weather" electric field, and the manner in which
   clouds become electrified
Know the basic characteristics of lightning (size of channel, temperature within)
Know the differences among sprites, elves, and jets
Know the general conditions necessary for the formation of hail
Know the geographic locations where hail storms are most frequent, and how this
   compares with general thunderstorm frequency
Know when hailstorms tend to occur throughout  the year
Know the processes governing the formation of hailstones (e.g., wet and dry growth)
Be able to define the dryline and discuss its general structure and significance
Know why the dryline moves eastward during the day and retreats back to the west at night
Understand why drylines are favored regions for thunderstorm development
Understand and be able to apply the general concepts associated with thunderstorm forecasting
Be able to define (though you don't need to know the formulas for) the various stability
   indices associated with thunderstorm forecasting
Be able to explain CAPE and CIN and their significance/role in severe weather
Understand storm-relative helicity and its use in forecasting mesocyclones
Know the "classic" conditions for severe weather development
Understand and be able to explain the role of temperature inversions in thunderstorm forecasting
Know the stages of hurricane development
Know the general atmospheric conditions that are conducive to hurricane formation
Be able to explain the formation of easterly waves and relate them to the larger-scale flow
Know the locations on Earth where hurricanes tend to originate
Be able to describe and label the various features associated with a mature hurricane
Know the definition of a hurricane and tropical storm (in terms of wind speeds)
Be able to describe the general nature of the Saffir-Simpson hurricane intensity scale
Be able to define the storm surge and explain its significance
Know the factors responsible for the death of a hurricane
Understand and be able to apply the concept of conservation of angular momentum (you are
   required to know that the condition is VR=constant)
Know where tornadoes occur most frequently within hurricanes, and why
Know the months of hurricane and tropical storm occurrence, especially the peaks
Be able to explain the basic characteristics of ElNino and LaNina, and be able to distringuish
   between them
Be able to discuss the consequences of these short-term events, i.e., the societal impacts
Be able to define lake-effect snow storms and describe their general characteristics
Know the lake-effect snow storm season
Be able to describe the key ingredients  needed for lake-effect snows, and the manner in
   which they form
Understand how the coastline and orography affect lake-effect storm intensity